Rotorcraft quiet modes
AssigneeTextron Innovations Inc.
InventorsMarc Bustamante, Marc Ouellet, Alexis Dugré, Chen Kuang, Guillaume Biron
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A yaw control system for a helicopter having a tailboom includes one or more tail rotors rotatably coupled to the tailboom and a quiet mode controller. The quiet mode controller includes a noise monitoring module configured to monitor one or more flight parameters of the helicopter and a quiet mode command module configured to selectively switch the one or more tail rotors to a quiet mode based on the one or more flight parameters. The quiet mode command module is also configured to modify one or more operating parameters of the one or more tail rotors in the quiet mode to reduce noise emitted by the helicopter.
Claims18
A yaw control system for a helicopter having a tailboom comprising:
- a plurality of tail rotors rotatably coupled to the tailboom, the tail rotors having one or more operating parameters, the tail rotors reversibly rotatable in a first rotational direction to provide anti-torque thrust and in a second rotational direction to provide pro-torque thrust, the tail rotors reversing rotational direction at a motor reversal set point;
- and
- a quiet mode controller comprising:
- a noise monitoring module configured to monitor one or more flight parameters of the helicopter;
- and
- a quiet mode command module configured to selectively switch the tail rotors to a quiet mode based on the one or more flight parameters;
- wherein, the quiet mode command module is configured to modify the one or more operating parameters of the tail rotors in the quiet mode to reduce noise emitted by the helicopter;
- and
- wherein, the quiet mode command module further comprises a motor reversal set point regulator to modify the motor reversal set point of the tail rotors in the quiet mode.
A rotorcraft comprising:
- a fuselage;
- a tailboom extending from the fuselage, the tailboom having an aft portion;
- and
- a yaw control system comprising:
- a shroud coupled to the aft portion of the tailboom and forming one or more ducts;
- a plurality of tail rotors disposed in the one or more ducts, the tail rotors having one or more operating parameters, the tail rotors reversibly rotatable in a first rotational direction to provide anti-torque thrust and in a second rotational direction to provide pro-torque thrust, the tail rotors reversing rotational direction at a motor reversal set point;
- and
- a flight control computer implementing a quiet mode controller, the quiet mode controller comprising:
- a noise monitoring module configured to monitor one or more flight parameters of the rotorcraft;
- and
- a quiet mode command module configured to selectively switch the tail rotors to a quiet mode based on the one or more flight parameters;
- wherein, the quiet mode command module is configured to modify the one or more operating parameters of the tail rotors in the quiet mode to reduce noise emitted by the rotorcraft, and
- wherein, the quiet mode command module further comprises a motor reversal set point regulator to modify the motor reversal set point of the tail rotors in the quiet mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.